Monday, December 28, 2015

Cadence Lewis has been dancing since she could walk. Living in New York with her parents she has the chance to go to the best dance school in the country, but when her father does the unthinkable she’s forced to leave her dreams behind and move to a small southern town with her mom. Cadence is having a hard time adjusting to her new life when she meets Jade Carpenter. Jade starts to show Cadence that small-town life isn’t so bad, but when Cadence has a chance to go back to New York she is on the next flight and will do anything to get her old life back.

“Not literally. If you haven’t noticed it’s hot and sticky here, makes you feel like you’re a stick of butter melting. I can promise that you don’t want to be out here in the heat of the day, but if you don’t get to moving, you will be.”

“I’m not doing any of it Gran. This is not what I signed up to do.”

“Sugar, the moment you disrespected me was the moment I knew it was time to teach you a lesson or two about life. So pick up those boots and march your ass right in there.” Holy shit! Gran cursed!

“What? Shit ain’t a bad word. Look out there. There’s plenty of it,” she says pointing to the pasture. As I turn back to Gran I notice my cellphone lodged in a pile of crap.

“Gran, my phone! It landed in a pile of crap.”

“Well, brush it off.”

“Oh, no, I’m not touching that and now I need a new phone. How am I going to talk to Lauren and my other friends without a phone?”

“I have one in the house. Now quit your whining and get started on those stalls.”

Reluctantly, I follow Gran into the barn. Hearing a crazy sound, I have no idea what I’m about to do, but I pray it doesn’t have anything to do with a cow’s tatas.

Casey Peeler grew up in North Carolina and still lives there with her husband and daughter.

Growing up Casey wasn't an avid reader or writer, but after reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neal Hurston during her senior year of high school, and multiple Nicholas Sparks' novels, she found a hidden love and appreciation for reading. That love ignited the passion for writing several years later, and her writing style combines real life scenarios with morals and values teenagers need in their daily lives.

When Casey isn't writing, you can find her near a body of water listening to country music with a cold beverage and a great book.

"Their story came together beautifully and they finally got their HEA." Barb Online Book Club

Excerpts:

He walked into class and I turned my head away as soon as he looked at me. It was all rather dramatic, and I didn’t even mean it. It was a reflex. I was embarrassed.

Snippets of the other night and my behavior kept popping in my head at the most inopportune times—I thought back to the way he looked when I showed up at his door.

It was the same look he held now, walking into class. He took care of me, when I half expected him to shut the door in my face. He invited me in, he cleaned me up and put me to bed, and how did I repay him—by ignoring him.

Real mature, Carrington.

I watched him from this angle. I imagined how messy his hair would look if he wore it longer. He carried the ‘rolled out of bed’ sexy look well. It might be why I kept having naughty dreams about him, none as real and explicit as the one I’d had when I woke up next to him.

My face flushed as he turned to stare at me again. I looked away.

I needed to suck it up and talk to him. I figured I had until the end of class to figure out something to say. I would start by apologizing for not returning his calls. Thank him for taking care of me the other night and try and persuade him to give me another chance. He would give me another chance because he liked me. He had asked me out in the first place, right?

My anxious heartbeat slowed to a relaxed rhythm, and I stopped sweating.

I tried paying attention to the professor, but Calculus held no interest up against the saga I created in my own head.

Lost in one of my fantasies, I caught Josh in the corner of my eye, gathering his stuff and walking out the door.

Where is he going?

I panicked.

The entire class turned to watch Josh exit.

I gathered my stuff and bolted down the steps. As I exited the room, the professor held his hands out and asked, "Anyone else need to leave?"

I ran down the hall and out the door. I assumed he exited this way. A desperate squeal escaped my lips, but it morphed into a squeal of excitement. I spotted him as he walked down the path to the student union.

I took off running but began slowing down halfway.

What am I going to say?

I caught up and fell in step two feet behind him. I reached out and grabbed his shirtsleeve and the book in his arm fell with a thud.

"What the fuck?" he said as he turned around. His expression softened, but then it got all hard and stern.

His eyes darted around, and he cleared his throat.

I fought the urge to bolt.

"What?" he yelled. Students stopped and stared.

He bent down to grab his book. I needed to figure out something; in a few seconds, he would stand up and walk away. I needed to speak up, or he would walk away forever.

My mind went blank.

He stood back up.

Standing in front of me, he tilted his head to the side and crinkled his nose. As I still didn’t say anything, he shook his head and turned to walk away.

"For someone who wants to be my boyfriend, you're not acting like it,” I said.

He turned back to face me. Confusion and frustration spread across his face. I’d said the wrong thing. I dropped my head and turned. When he dropped his books. The sound made me jump, but not as much as when he reached out and wrapped his hands around my biceps. My instincts were to pull away from the sudden contact, but it only made him increase his grip. My stomach fluttered as I searched my brain trying to find something to say that didn't sound stupid or pathetic or desperate.

He remained silent and pulled me close. I leaned toward him while my mind screamed, No, don’t do it, run away. I shouldn’t be doing this, not out of fear of him, but out of fear of losing control.

My breath increased and my heart was pounding out of my chest. A small part of my brain registered the pain from how tight he held my arms, but another part of my brain overrode the pain and my heart rate spiked with the realization.

Oh, shit. He's going to kiss me.

And, he did. His lips landed on mine, and it made my head spin. I was thankful for the grip on my arms, because I would have otherwise melted into the ground. His firm hands were a direct contradiction to his soft lips. I felt him pulling away and I followed, seeking more contact, but his grip flexed as if warning me to stop. I didn’t have a second to think because his lips were back on mine, harder this time. He angled his head to the left, and he slid his tongue between my open lips. As soon as our tongues touched, he withdrew, and I sought it out. His grip on my arms tightened, but as my triceps began to shake, he loosened his grip. He let go and wrapped one arm around my waist. His other hand touched my chin to tilt it to the ideal angle in order for him to kiss me deeper. He directed this epic moment and I followed his cues. He paused and allowed air to pass between our moist lips, but my lips weren’t done.

He opened his mouth and my tongue found his as I lifted my arms and wrapped them around his neck. I pulled him closer, and he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight.

He no longer seemed in control of the situation. He reacted to my every move. I was in control.

Author Links:

Author Bio:

Sydney Aaliyah Michelle is a Contemporary Romance writer, a voracious reader and movie fanatic who hails from Texas.

After surviving 5 1/2 years living in China, she had the courage to finally pursue her passion and become a writer.

Sydney has been blogging at sydneyaaliyah.com for three years, where she interviews people about their tattoos, discusses her favorite movie quotes, and journals about her writing and editing process.

Sydney's novels tackle that dramatic world that is college and professional football and she writes heroins that love their men and the sport that they play.

She identifies the sci-fi action flick "The Matrix" as the best representation of her life in the past. She is now blessed to be awake and doing what she loves.

She can recite the entire script from the 80's teen comedy/drama "The Breakfast Club" and loves any and everything associated with the Avengers Movie, especially Tony Stark.

When it come to books, Sydney reads different genres, but some of her favorite writers are Stephen King, Alex J. Cavanaugh, J.A Huss, M. Never & Emily Bronte. Under the Dome, The Great Gatsby & Wuthering Heights are her favorite books.

Sunday, December 20, 2015

Blurb:

A gripping, dark fantasy!

A Destined Prophecy: “The White Warrior will be one with Lucifer and God will weep.”

Haunting visions and supernatural talents are the norm for the sixteen-year-old warrior, Jordan and her mother Seeley. Together with their formidable angels they find themselves in peril when a wicked sorcerer is determined to fulfill the prophecy to his lord, Lucifer.

After an ominous vision of spirits inhabiting teenagers in a local school, Jordan enrolls in the social culture of teendom at Elma High to combat soulless demons. She encounters Mark, a mysterious new classmate, who is hell bent on keeping her unscathed from the forces of evil.

The battle between Heaven and Hell is escalating—and Earth is their battleground.

Snippet:

Wickedly They Come

Eyes like embers burn into my soul

As gnarled fingers stretch to sow seeds of terror

Weaving a realm of pandemonium

Nightmares pour poison upon sleep’s tangled web

And on and on the vision’s dance:

I saw the world blind and hollow

Floating in the void of space

Feeding upon the vapors of some

Translucent suspended beast

Disjointed bodies then did appear

Sprinkling death and devouring life

Coaxing Earth into silent slumber

Blazing eyes again emerged

Red brightness true to hellish fire

Fixed upon my wandering eye

Flames burst upon the scene

Wild and wily, leaving not one piece to fix upon

Except for those eyes of ember…

Snippet:

Something dripped on Seeley’s shoulder. Then another wet dribble skimmed her cheek and landed on Jordan’s arm. The wetness was bright red. She gazed up at a mammoth pentagram embedded into the rocky dome. The five-pointed star sparkled in the flickering light, and a planked balcony bordered the elevated fortification.

As she craned her head and peered directly upward, her bloodcurdling scream split the air. “Ohmigod. Ohmigod. What have they done?” Her knees buckled.

Snippet:

“Fight back. You are the warrior.”

It seemed the dagger plunged in slow motion.

As all hell broke loose, Jordan regained her senses. Nerve-racking screeches, metal clanging, and heavy feet running. Asa was impelled off her, thwacking into the cement wall. Everything came to a halt.

Jordan couldn’t take her eyes off Markus’s hand, hovering just above her heart. Thrust through his palm, the bloody dagger quivered. Its sharp tip cut her shirt, staining the fibers a brilliant red. Gripping the hilt and clenching his jaw, Markus withdrew the dagger from his hand as creatures bombarded him.

BIO:

Cathrina Constantine resides in Western New York with her husband, five children, two Labrador Retrievers and her cat, Bones. When not with her family, reading, or stationed at the computer, you will find her walking in the backwoods with her dogs, conjuring up a new tale.

Cathrina writes mainly YA/Paranormal Thrillers, Mysteries, Contemporary, and Dystopian Fiction. To date her books published by Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly are Don’t Forget To Breathe, Tallas, Snow on Cinders, and the Wickedly Series.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Available for FREE at

BLURB:

When the five Trask brothers and their wives gather together for Christmas, they're all looking forward to relaxing and celebrating the holidays.

But when the Trask brothers decide to cook the Christmas dinner, it's one disaster after another, until they realize that love and family is what Christmas is all about.

This is a short holiday story of approximately 7,500 words and can be read as a stand-alone.

SNIPPET 1:

“This is going to be a great Christmas,” Garrett said. He unzipped a suitcase and rummaged through it. “I’m going to be Santa.” He held up a new red Santa suit.

“You mean I’m going to be Santa.” Alex raked a hand through his hair. “I thought it would be fun to pretend to be him. Dad usually does it for the kids when we spend Christmas there, so I thought I’d take over this year. I brought my own suit.”

Cole, Logan and Mitch looked at each other in dismay.

“I was going to be Santa.” Mitch frowned.

“Hell, I was too,” Cole growled.

“So was I.” Logan crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“What are we going to do?” Alex quirked an eyebrow. “We can’t all be Santa, can we?”

There was shouting in Thai, and Lily had to get physical with one of the girls in order to get her to leave, but eventually all three hookers were in the hall. Lily slammed the door shut and went back into the bathroom. Kingsley was sitting upright in the shower, still rubbing his hands all over his face and head.

“Is it cold in here?” he asked. She grabbed his arm and hauled him to his feet.

“Yes, it's cold in here because you're in the water,” she explained, careful as she helped him get out of the tub.

“Right, right, that makes sense,” he agreed. He leaned on her and she staggered under his weight. They tumbled out of the room and fell onto his king sized bed.

“C'mon, up up up,” she urged, sitting upright. He rolled onto his back, instead.

Lily got down on the floor, working to pull off his shoes. It wasn't easy, he kept moving his legs and kicking his feet. His wet laces also put up a fight, but she eventually won the battle and threw his shoes across the room.

“Oi, thanks love, I hate those shoes!” he called to her as he struggled to sit upright.

“Well, then why did you -,”

For being stoned out of his mind, Kingsley was surprisingly quick, and he grabbed her by the back of her neck and yanked her forward. Lily was underneath him before she even knew what was happening, and then before she could react to what he'd just done, he was kissing her. Kingsley had kissed her once before, but it had been a goodbye kiss. No tongue, more of a show than anything else.

There was nothing funny about the way he was kissing her now. It was like he was ravenous, and she was a full buffet. She squealed and tried to push him off, but he didn't even notice. His hands wandered down her body, squeezing her breasts while his tongue explored her mouth.

This may have been a bad idea. Maybe I should've gone back to Ohio.

Lily smacked him in the side of the head, and when he pulled away to question her, she whacked him in the throat. Not hard enough to do any real damage, but hard enough to make him choke and gag.

“What the fuck do you think you're doing!?” he demanded, his voice hoarse.

“I have the same question!” she yelled back, pushing at his chest, trying to get him off of her.

“What kind of whore are you!?”

“I'm not a whore!”

He paused. His hand was on his throat, massaging where she'd hit him, and he looked down at her. His pupils were huge, and he seemed to have trouble focusing on one point. But then his eyes found hers and he stopped. Just stared down at her.

“Lily,” he said her name in a soft voice. The hand he had against his throat fell away, lightly touching the side of her face.

“Yeah, it's me,” she said back, keeping her own voice low.

“I'm very glad you're here,” he started, “though I wish I'd known you were coming. I hate for you to see me like this.”

“Me, too. I tried to call.”

“I'm sure you did. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm terribly sorry, but I think I'm going to pass out.”

And he did just that, collapsing on top of her. She gasped underneath his weight, and it took her a couple moments to wriggle free of him.

“Great, just great,” she grumbled, looking over at him as he snored away.

What was she supposed to do with a stoned mercenary!?

Crazy woman living in an undisclosed location in Alaska (where the need for a creative mind is a necessity!), I have been writing since ..., forever? Yeah, that sounds about right. I have been told that I remind people of Lucille Ball - I also see shades of Jennifer Saunders, and Denis Leary. So basically, I laugh a lot, I'm clumsy a lot, and I say the F-word A LOT.

I like dogs more than I like most people, and I don't trust anyone who doesn't drink. No, I do not live in an igloo, and no, the sun does not set for six months out of the year, there's your Alaska lesson for the day. I have mermaid hair - both a curse and a blessing - and most of the time I talk so fast, even I can't understand me.

Monday, December 14, 2015

Miles Capadonno has made some mistakes. Once part of the Capadonno crime family, he took the fall for another member of the crime family who once tried to kill him. At age 17, they put a contract out on Miles' head for neglecting to complete a job. It was a matter of priority. Miles went to his dying mother's side instead of picking up stolen merchandise from the ship yard. When you're in with the Capadonno's, whether you're blood or sworn in, when they say jump you jump, when they say kill you kill. Ignoring an order is an offense of the highest degree. When they couldn't kill him, they let Miles take the fall for another Capadonno family member. Now 15 years later, Miles is being released. He is ready to put his past behind him. There's only one problem. There is still a contract on Miles' head. This time, Miles is man enough to collect on owed debts, and he will not back down from the family that stabbed him in the back.

Leticia "Letty" Alves is a saucy Latina and Miles' old high school girlfriend. She was only 16 when Miles was arrested, but she hasn't stopped wondering about the boy who charmed her all those years ago. Now working as a nurse for a home health agency, Letty's priorities are to take care of herself and her 18 month old son, Gabriel. But when Miles walks back into her life everything changes, and suddenly, the family that she had avoided all her life, is now breathing down her neck looking for Miles. Letty is no damsel in distress, though. She's a fighter, and she never backs down from a challenge.

Sparks fly when Miles and Letty reunite. Can they put their differences aside to become one again? Can Miles set down his pride and accept the help and love that Letty can provide? Will Letty get over her resentment over being left so long ago when Miles was arrested? Only readers know for sure.

Welcome to Carrion, New Jersey, where the Capadonno's call the shots. Miles was away for so long, but now the prodigal son has returned. One thing is for sure, the family business isn't ready for a bastard like him.